July Playlist – Dance Like No One’s Watching

Recently—this morning in fact—I made a mistake at work. It was a small error, but it had a major impact on a project. And even though we all make mistakes (and often!), in that moment I proceeded to kick myself for not being more careful. Poor Rebekah, who I was coworking with, had the serious misfortune of listening to me say “This is all my fault! I should have paid closer attention!” at least 20 times.

I kept thinking about how I should have gone through my daily tasks differently or followed the checks and balances in our procedures more closely. If only I had done X, then Y wouldn’t have happened. I was so worked up over my mistake that I forgot to eat half my lunch.

All in all, a rough day at work to say the least.

When you have a setback at work—whether it’s small or something major—it can be so easy to dwell on your mistakes and throw yourself a pity party. You spin in circles going over how you should have played your part or chosen your words more carefully.

Shake It Off

In the words of America’s Sweetheart Taylor Swift, “Baby, I’m just gonna shake it off.”

Apologizing and working towards a solution ain’t for the faint of heart—but it’s necessary. First, take responsibility for your mistake and work to resolve the issue as best as you can. But after the problem is resolved, you simply have to move on. The coulda, woulda, shouldas aren’t productive for the client, your business, or your personal stress levels.

But how exactly do you let go of a bad day?

Dance With Somebody

Sometimes the only way to let off some steam is to throw yourself a dance party in your living room. And I’m not just speaking from experience here—dancing has been proven to reduce stress levels. If you’ve had a bad day, get up on your feet and cut a rug! (Do people still say that? IDK. I’ve had a bad day, cut me some slack, will ya?)

If you ever find yourself staring down the end of a long, tough day, press play on the playlist below. It offers just a small sample of the songs that help the DPM team shake what our mommas gave us.

And if you’re looking for me, you’ll find me in my living room, dancing like no one’s watching.